Monthly Archives: July 2016

Another convention announcement for you: I’ll be in the land of Wawas and Tastykakes once again as I do programming for Saikoucon. Last year it was one of my “If You Like” panels; this time it’ll be “I Can Japan (& So Can You)” which is all about how you can Japan, or at least how to travel there in a reasonable manor. As is custom, I’ll also be helping out Megaroad Toys so I’ll be free to chat if you’re not hitting the water park. 😉

Even though there will still be 4 months left to go, it’s been an odd year, albeit a successful one. This will be the sixth show I am doing programming at (and 7th overall), and while I will have only done 12 hours so far (I have done less than 12 hours once since 2010), I’ve done a lot of different programs. Just take a look.

That’s nine different panels out of eleven that I’ve done (Improv and AFC each ran 90 min.) I guess this is a good year to show the range of topics I can cover, and the final four months of the year may have even more, so stay tuned!

As I’m writing this, the doors for Sunday programming at Anime Expo are just starting to open. I am not with them (for multiple reasons, most of them logistics-related) but it would be certainly fun to get there once. That being said, I have news that is just as important: As spoiled by the countdown clock in the right-hand corner of this site: I am presenting at Otakon. When I first joined fandom around 1998—even when I started going to conventions in 2005—I couldn’t imagine running a panel at something of this magnitude, let alone even attending. For Otakon’s final bow in Baltimore I have been selected to present a panel that I don’t do very often, but it’s about a topic that I love: “Satoshi Kon & The Mystery of Me,” in which I break down the works of my all-time favorite director of media and examine how what he had to say about the culture of Japan and its relation with individuality. It’s a little academic, but it’s a ton of fun to present, so if you’re of age, I hope you will join me.

As is custom, I will be helping out Megaroad Toys when I’m not presenting or being awestruck at 30,000 people in one convention space, so there will be ample time to say hi and comment. Presenting at Otakon has been a culmination of over 10 years of work and dedication. I want to thank everyone who has helped me get to this point, and if you want me to go even further, feel free to spread a good word or two to your local show.